


Tough

by Peachee



Series: Learning Your Place [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Angst, Did I Mention Angst?, Fluff and Angst, Gen, More angst, Psychological Drama, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-11 14:57:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11150802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peachee/pseuds/Peachee
Summary: Mikey has never handled pain very well, much to the annoyance - and concern - of his brothers. One day Raph decides to teach him a lesson that may have just driven Mikey into the enemy's arms...





	1. Lesson

“Owowow!” Mikey cried as once again, Donatello tried to place the ice pack on his arm.

“C’mon Mikey it’s not _that_ bad,” Don said rolling his eyes. The purple turtle was quickly becoming irritated.

“But it hurts so much dude,” Mikey said eyes watering. He knew Donnie hated it when he whined but his arm _did_ hurt.

“Mikey, it’s just a bruise,” Don sighed. “It probably won’t even last more than a week.”

“I bruise like a peach Don,” Mikey sniffled.

“Ugh fine!” Donnie said throwing the melting ice pack at Mikey. “Then ice your own bruises.”

Muttering to himself, Donnie stalked out of his lab joining the two older turtles in their living room.

Mikey pouted as he gingerly set the cold ice against his arm. The bruise was already starting to change color.

It had happened during sparring. Raph got paired with Leo as usual, and Donnie was paired with Mikey. Things had been going fine, with Mikey dancing around his purple brother, dodging his attacks and taunting the genius.

“Guess the only muscle you have is that brain of yours, Einstein wannabe,” the orange turtle giggled. That is until Donnie’s staff had connected solidly with his arm.

Yelping, Mikey lost focus and was quickly pinned beneath the older turtle. Master Splinter had simply shaken his head as once again, the young turtle had let the pain cloud his mind in battle.

How many times had they been over this? As a ninja, there was no mercy in battle. Your opponent will not hesitate if you are injured. If anything they will exploit it. Sighing, Splinter had brought their training to an end, dismissing his sons. He would reprimand Michelangelo later.

The boys left the dojo, Mikey still whining about his injury. Leo had good naturedly commiserated, while Don had offered to care for his baby brother’s arm. Raphael however, had had enough.

As Donnie had ushered Mikey into his lab. Raph whirled on Leo growling.

“How many times are we gunna coddle tha wuss?!” he hissed angrily.

Leo glared at the hot head. “He was hurt.”

“He’s ALWAYS gettin’ hurt!” Raph fumed. “And it ain’t even that bad! I mean c’mon Leo, a bruise and his focus goes ta shell!”

Leo sighed. He knew Raph was right. Mikey had always struggled to focus in almost anything he did. Being distracted by something as minor as a bruise wasn’t very ninja-like.

His head turned as a frustrated Donatello stomped into the living room.

“He’s icing his own arm,” Donnie said scowling as he plopped down on the kitchen barstool.

“I thought you were helping him?” Leo asked questioningly.

“He was complaining so much about his arm you’d think someone had cut it off,” Donnie said with a snort. “Imagine if someone _actually_ hit him.”

“My point exactly Leo,” Raph said, his anger heating up once again. “What happens when we’re all topside? He’s gonna get us all killed!”

Back in the lab, Mikey winced. Raph’s words cut deep. Slowly lowering the now melted ice pack, Mikey looked up where his brothers voices were coming from. Was Raph right? Did his reaction to pain cause his family to be in danger? Would he really get them killed?

“Tha kid’s gotta be tougher if he wants ta protect this family!” Raph yelled. “And if I have ta beat it inta him then so be it!”

Mikey cringed as he heard Raph’s heavy feet come closer. Shaking, he brought his fists up to defend himself from his hothead brother’s attack. He hated fighting, especially when Raph was in one of his rages.

All too soon, the red turtle’s hulking frame loomed in the lab’s doorway.

“You. Me. Dojo. NOW!” Raph yelled.

Mikey’s eyes went wide. Rather than pouncing on him, Raph had held off to make the demand. Confused and more than a little wary, Mikey sheepishly followed the red turtle into the dojo.

Raph whirled around, his eyes flashing with angry determination. One way or another his baby brother was going to learn. He had to be tough if he wanted to survive. Without a word Raph pulled his sai from his belt, spinning the weapons deftly in his three-fingered hands. There was only one way to get tough, and he was going to make sure Mikey was the toughest mother out there. Well…after himself of course. 

Mikey watched his older brother with apprehension. Leo hadn’t come to his rescue this time, and Don was still irritated from his earlier whining. For once Raph had got his way and the thought terrified Mikey. As the red-masked ninja pulled out his weapons, Mikey squeaked. Was Raph really going to spar with him?

“Come on ya wuss,” Raph growled. “We ain’t leavin’ here ‘till ya get it through ya thick skull. If ya wanna be a ninja an’ protect this family, ya gotta be TOUGH!”

With the last word Raph rushed Mikey crouching low and striking out with the hilt of his sai. Mikey barely had enough time to draw his nunchakus from his belt, stumbling backwards from the fierce attack. Again Raph lunged forward this time slashing his sai up towards the orange turtle’s chin. Again Mikey tried to dodge, but felt a sharp prick as the sai nicked his jawline.

“Ah! Raph!” he cried indignantly.

This was just a sparring session. Why was his brother going so hard at this? The red turtle didn’t respond, instead sweeping his leg low, cutting Mikey’s legs from under him. Mind racing Mikey stuck out a hand, vaulting out of his one handed back-spring only to find Raph again pressing forward with a snarl.

Swinging his nunchakus furiously, Mikey desperately fended off his brother’s attacks but the light trickle of blood from his jaw unnerved him. Was he really this weak? Would something like this cost his brothers in battle? Would he be their downfall?

Eyes losing focus, Mikey’s attacks became sloppy. Fury blazed in Raph’s eyes as he watched his brother’s mind stray. With a cry, Raph struck a roundhouse kick into Mikey’s plastron. He hadn’t meant to kick that hard, but Mikey’s lack of attention even in the face of a serious opponent made him see red.

Mikey absorbed the kick full-force, flying back and slamming into the dojo wall. The resulting slam covered the cracking sound Mikey felt coming from his ribs. Moaning, he curled around his chest, leaving his weapons forgotten on the ground.

Raph’s chest heaved as he looked down at his little brother. Despite his best efforts, the young ninja didn’t even bother to defend himself. How was Raph supposed to trust his little brother to survive when they went topside? How could he toughen up the pacifist ninja so Raph didn’t have to worry about him so much?!

“How can you be so WEAK?!” Raph screamed. Frustrated tears pricked his vision. Before the orange turtle could notice, Raph spun on his heel retreating to his room to vent his anger.

Mikey could only whimper as his brother stomped out of the dojo. Raph was right. He was weak. He had to be better. Tougher. He couldn’t let his family down. He had to protect them.

Fighting the tears springing to his eyes, Mikey braced a hand against the wall to push himself off the ground. A shooting pain rocked his side and he hissed through his teeth. Plaintively he looked out the dojo door to see if Leo or Don might give him a hand. Finding the living area empty, Mikey let the tears he had been fighting fall.

Slowly, he dragged himself up off the ground, sniffling. As he hobbled back to his room, there was only one thought echoing in Mikey’s head.  
  
He was weak.  
  
.............................  
  


As evening fell, the four brothers prepared to go on their evening patrol. Leo and Don began stretching while Raph worked up a quick sweat at his punching bag. Mikey sat silently on the couch, trying to hide his painful ribs from his brothers.

“Mikey shouldn’t you stretch a bit?” Leo asked, sinking into a crouch.

“Oh uh…I did some stretching in my room before I came down,” Mikey said with a weak laugh. The pain in his ribs felt like a punch in the gut.

“Let’s just go already” Raph said, a light sheen on his skin. He didn’t even look at Mikey.

Shaking his head, Leo led the three other turtles from the lair out to the sewers. Something had happened between his two younger brothers, but now wasn’t the time to figure it out. He needed his full attention focused on the mission when they went topside.

Mikey was barely keeping up, again trying to mask the pain in his side. He could feel a thin layer of sweat already dripping from his brow, but he just gritted his teeth. Raph was still mad at him.

Don’s careful gaze took in the sight of his three brothers running ahead. Leo was in leader mode, already focused on the mission. Raph was still angry, the emotion rolling off of him as he ran. Mikey was…was Mikey grimacing? Don tried to get a closer look at his brother’s face. Yes. Mikey was definitely grimacing. Don frowned. Was it his arm again? Did he actually hit Mikey harder than he thought?

Donnie didn’t get a chance to think any further on the subject as they came to the ladder that would lead them to the surface. Quickly, the brother’s climbed the ladder that lead to the boisterous streets of New York City.

Silently they exited the sewers and leapt onto the nearest fire escape, scrambling to the wide-open rooftops. Mikey’s breath hitched as the movements strained his injury.

_Keep it together man._  

Again Donnie noticed the orange turtle’s discomfort.

“Hey Mikey,” he said hesitantly. “Are you ok?”

Raph’s heated gaze fell back to the two turtles.

Mikey’s eyes went wide before brusquely replying, “Yeah dude, quit worrying about me.”

Donnie shut his mouth with a snap. Since when did Mikey get to be so gruff? Raph turned forward with a snort, and the four turtles took off across the rooftops.

The evening was quiet and the turtles were making good progress on their route. Mikey had so far, managed not to give away his pain, but could tell that his mask was slipping. Holding his arm against his side he continued to run.

Leo’s feet pounded across the hard rooftop before leaping over the side, gracefully rolling to his feet on the adjacent roof. Silently his brothers followed him. That is until Mikey landed with a heavy thud before stumbling. Quickly he righted himself, but not before Leo had a chance to see. Looking at his brother confused, Leo wondered why the usually quick and nimble ninja was struggling so hard.

He was about to ask Mikey what was wrong when he felt them. Foot ninja. Whirling around, Leo drew his katanas barking orders.

“Donnie with me. Raph you’re with Mikey.” He wanted the strong red ninja there for his younger brother. Something wasn’t right with his orange brother.     

As soon as the orders left his mouth the Foot attacked.  
  
Leaping into action the four brothers quickly fell into their pairs. Leo’s cool collected fighting fitting flawlessly with Donnie’s precise and efficient blows. Together the two brothers cut a swath in the swarm of Foot soldiers, their faces set in grim determination.

Raph and Mikey however, were having problems. Raph’s strength had leveled Foot after Foot, and yet Mikey was struggling. For every three that Raph put down, his younger brother could barely take down one. But what really made Raph nervous was his baby brother’s silence. The normally joking orange turtle hadn’t said a word. Not a single taunt. Instead his brows were knit together in concentration, his focus on his enemy.

With a satisfied grunt, Raph threw another Foot soldier into a wall. Finally his brother was taking this seriously. Seems like their round in the dojo had worked after all.

A new wave of Foot ninja flocked to the battle, and it was all Mikey could do not to groan out loud. His ribs were burning and he was barely keeping up with the few Foot engaged with him already. How was he going to fight off this new horde?

As if they had heard his silent complaint, four Foot Elite leapt into view. Their eyes cold and calculating.

“Guys we need to fall back!” Leo’s order cut through the din of fighting.

“What?! Are ya kiddin’ me?!”

“ _NOW_ Raph!”

Raph growled as his fist connected with a Foot ninja’s face. _Just when things were gettin’ good._ Reluctantly Raph regrouped with Leo and Donnie, helping fend off a few more careless Foot ninja that got too close.

“Mikey get ova here!” Raph shouted, turning back to his younger brother.

“Be there-ugh-in a minute,” Mikey grunted. They were only 30 yards away. 30 agonizingly far yards away.  With concerted effort, Mikey was somehow able to throw off the remaining two ninja he had been fighting and began to make his way towards his brother.

“Mikey! Look–!”

Mikey never got to hear the end of Donnie’s cry as a heavily armored kick slammed into his side and his world went black.

………………………..

_“He’s gonna get us all killed…” the voice was ringing. Mikey looked for the source in the inky black surrounding him._

_“No! I won’t be weak! I promise!” he cried out to nobody._

_“One bruise and his focus goes to shell,” the voice mocked cruelly._

_“No I won’t let that happen! I won’t!”_

_“If you want to protect this family….”_

_“Yes! Yes I do! I would do anything to protect them!”_

_“Then ya gotta be TOUGH!”_

Mikey woke with a start, pain lancing through his side. Was he still dreaming? Slowly he blinked his eyes, but the blackness was not receding. Gingerly he sat up, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The clink of chains brought him painfully to the forefront of consciousness.

_What?_

The chains on his wrists were thick and heavy, pulling his arms above his head. The ache in his shoulders told him he had been there for a while before he came to. His ribs were throbbing…or was that his heart? Fear crept like tendrils of smoke around him, smothering him. Where was he? What happened? Where were his brothers?

The clank of metal was the only warning Mikey got before light flooded the dark room. Cringing, Mikey tried to cover his eyes from the obtrusive light, his shoulders groaning in protest.

“So turtle, you finally woke up.”

Mikey’s head snapped towards the voice, his heart dropping into his stomach.

_Hun._

“Can’t believe how easy it was to catch you,” the giant rumbled. “Who knew you were so weak?”

Mikey felt as if he had been slapped. After trying so hard, he still managed to get himself captured….and his brothers?!

“If you lay a hand on my family…”

The giant roared in laughter.

“You’ll do what little turtle? Shake your chains at me?”

Mikey could feel angry tears forming behind his mask. No. He wouldn’t give Hun the satisfaction. Growling he glared at the massive human, hoping to cover his pain and humiliation.

“Hahaa- oh man I haven’t laughed like that in awhile,” Hun said, slapping a hand to his forehead still chuckling. “But no stupid turtle, the one you should be worrying about is you.”

Without warning, Hun landed a vicious kick into Mikey’s side. Doubling over, the orange turtle wheezed and gasped, the chains biting into his wrists as he struggled for breath.

“You _will_ talk turtle,” Hun spat, grabbing Mikey by the back of his shell. His foul breath huffing into Mikey’s face. “You will tell us where your brothers are, or you will wish you were never born.”

Throwing the wounded terrapin against the wall, Hun turned and slammed the heavy metal door behind him, leaving Mikey once again in darkness.

One small thought gave Mikey comfort, as his breathing came in ragged gasps.

_They don’t know where my brothers are._

…………………………………………

Raphael watched in horror as the Foot Elite had landed a devastating blow to Mikey’s side. The red turtle had expected his younger brother to follow right behind him when he had gone to Leo and Donnie. Only now did he realize his terrible mistake.

With a roar Raph leapt forward to protect the fallen form of his brother, but was brought up short by a new wave of Foot soldiers. An animalistic cry rent from his throat as he manically began to mow down all in his path.

_Mikey!_

He was vaguely aware of Donnie and Leo jumping into the fray beside him, each savagely cutting their way through the mass of Foot ninja. But it seemed for every one they defeated, two more would take their place. Raph could only watch as the Foot Elite bent down and scooped Mikey up. Throwing the unconscious turtle over his shoulder.

“Put him down ya damn strawhead!” Raph yelled at the Foot Elite. Without even a backward glance the villain began racing across rooftops, quickly vanishing into the shadows.

“NO!” Raph’s anger finally broke past the boiling point. His fury fueled his actions, no longer those of a ninja, but of a protective brother fighting tooth and nail to get to his younger sibling.

But even with his new efforts, the waves of Foot Ninja wouldn’t decrease. Severely outnumbered, Leo had to make the agonizing choice.

“Raph!” he cried, deflecting yet another Foot blade. “We have to retreat!”

Raphael whirled towards his blue brother. Surely the leader was joking.

“There are too many of them!” Leo yelled, flipping a ninja over his carapace. “We have to fall back!”

“Have ya lost ya _MIND_ Leo?!” Raph screamed. “They got Mikey!”

“We can’t do anything for him if we end up caught too!” Leo yelled back. “Or worse!”

Raph’s vision saw red at the thought of running away. Those nutjobs had his brother. Like shell was he going to run away!

As he turned to once again throw himself at the wall of Foot ninja, he felt a three-fingered hand on his arm. Donnie gripped tightly shaking his head at his hothead brother. Raph moved to shake him off, but Don’s grip was like iron. It was then Raph noticed the unshed tears in Don’s eyes. Gripping his sai tight, Raph swore violently as he and his brothers turned to race away over the rooftops, away from the swarm of Foot ninja.

_I will find you Mikey._ He vowed silently. _No matter what, I **will** find you._


	2. Cracked

Mikey shivered against the cold wall of his cell. Unable to bring his arms around himself to try and keep warm, his body was quickly losing valuable warmth. He knew for sure his ribs were broken, and the small trickle of blood down his arms told him how raw his wrists were from the biting metal of the manacles. Drawing his legs up to his chest, Mikey tried to find solace in sleep.

Just as he thought the darkness would finally swallow him, his cell door swung open. Shutting his eyes before he was once again blinded, Mikey strained to hear who had entered. Great thudding footsteps told him Hun had made another appearance. Cracking his eyes open, Mikey glanced at the giant. Something was in his hands, and Mikey didn’t like the way the gruesome human was smiling.

“I’ve brought you a present turtle,” he said smiling. He held up the item in his hands so Mikey could see. A lump formed at the back of Mikey’s throat when he saw what Hun had.

It was a metal collar with long cruel spikes that were turned inwards to pierce the wearer. Mikey began to shake. Hun wasn’t going to actually use that thing on him was he? Hun reached down to grab Mikey as his feet frantically scrambled to push himself away from the domineering giant. Huns rough hand grabbed Mikey’s wrists still trapped in the manacles, pinning the young turtle to the wall.

“Now now turtle,” the man said, as if reprimanding a child. “You shouldn’t move around too much. You might hurt yourself.”

Landing a fierce punch to the top of Mikey’s plastron, the young turtle felt his body go limp as the huge man quickly fastened the collar around his neck. Instantly the spikes pressed into Mikey’s tender flesh, not quite breaking the skin. Mikey knew however, that those same spikes would gouge into him should he put pressure anywhere on the collar. Trying to keep his neck straight, Mikey struggled to breathe.

Hun laughed at his pathetic display.

“There you go turtle,” the man chuckled to himself. “Don’t you look pretty.”

Mikey glared up at the human and spat. It seemed like something Raph would do. Angrily, Hun’s hand whipped across Mikey’s face, snapping the young turtle’s head to the side. The spikes in the collar drove into his neck.

Hun grinned as the turtle let out a shriek of pain, pulling desperately at his restraints to reach for his bleeding neck. The spikes wouldn’t kill him…yet. Still grinning the man left the bleeding terrapin in darkness.

Mikey’s eyes swam with tears, bleeding in the dark. The spikes had dug into his neck, and without the use of his hands, there was no way to dislodge them. Whimpering Mikey tried to sit up straighter, earning himself another spear of pain lancing his ribs leaving him gasping.

Slowly bringing his ragged breathing under control Mikey braced himself against the pain, setting his mouth into a grim line. No matter what he had to fight this. He would protect his family.

As exhaustion found the orange ninja, Mikey felt his eyes droop and eagerly sought out the blissful oblivion of sleep. His head began to fall to his chest, as the cruel spikes again dug into the tender flesh of his neck. Jerking fully awake Mikey’s eyes went wide at the sudden pain.

Now he knew what the collar was really for.

……………………………………………

Donnie could feel the circles under his eyes growing deeper. He had been in his lab for the past three days trying to find a way to track down their missing baby brother. Donnie rubbed his eyes tiredly, but the guilt wouldn’t let him sleep. He had known something was wrong with Mikey, and yet he had failed to do anything about it. Tapping away at his computer, Donnie frantically threw himself into his self-prescribed punishment. He would not rest until Mikey was home.

Once again the purple turtle tried to crack into the Shredder’s mainframe. Looking for anything that might lead them to Mikey. But firewall after firewall had come crashing down any time he got close. The effect was taking its toll on the brilliant turtle.

Leo watched his genius brother from the door of the lab. The purple turtle’s shoulders were hunched over the keys of his computer, the muscles bunched in tight knots. Don had been there for days, only eating when Leo forced him to. Glancing behind him, Leo took in the form of his uncharacteristically quiet red-masked brother. Raph sat on the couch, head in hands, all anger spent.

When they had first gotten back to the lair the night Mikey was taken, Raph had nearly taken Leo’s head off, screaming about how he had failed in noticing that Mikey needed help. It wasn’t until the anger had slipped away that Raph confessed that he was angry with himself. Angry that he had ignored Mikey, and after more prodding from Donnie and Leo, that he may have been the reason Mikey was having trouble fighting that night. He recounted how he had sparred with Mikey, and blasted a kick into the younger turtle at full force. He hadn’t meant to hurt him. He only wanted his younger brother to get tougher. To be safe.

Leo cringed when he had heard Mikey might have been hurt when sparring with Raph. He had let the hothead have his way and hadn’t tried to temper Raph’s anger before facing their youngest brother. And now because of his lack of judgment, Mikey had been taken.

Leo stiffly pushed off the doorframe and began walking towards Donnie. The purple turtle flinched as Leo laid a hand on his shoulder. The genius looked even worse close up.

“Come on Don,” Leo said gently. “You need to get some rest.”

Donnie pulled his arm from Leo’s grasp. Turning back to his computer, he wiped his moistened eyes with the back of his hand.

“I can’t do that Leo,” Donnie mumbled, his fingers again clacking against the keys of his computer. “I can’t just sleep when Mikey is out there with those…those…psychopaths.”

Leo sighed silently. He knew how Don felt. After searching for Mikey for days, all they could do was regroup at the lair and try and think of new ways to find their lost brother. But they couldn’t do that when they were pushed to the brink of exhaustion.

“Don, you and I both know that without our minds and our bodies at our best, we would be doing a disservice to Mikey” Leo lapsed into logic, hoping to convince the brainy turtle. “If we push ourselves too hard, we may miss something really important.”

Leo held his breath as Donnie contemplated what he had said. After what seemed like an eternity, Don let out an exhausted sigh.

“All right Leo,” he whispered, slowly rising to his feet. “But only for a few hours.”

As he moved away from his desk, the world tilted before Don’s eyes. Swiftly, Leo caught his brother mid-swoon and put an arm under his shoulders.

“Come on Don,” he said quietly. “Just a short rest, and we’ll try again.”

Arm in arm, the two brothers exited the lab and made their weary way to Don’s room.

Raph watched as his brothers walked into Don’s room. Seeing Don’s weak and tired form only added to his guilt. Not only had he been the reason Mikey got taken, he was also useless in helping find him. The weight of that had fallen to Donnie, and he couldn’t even help the genius when he so desperately needed it. Raph leaned forward on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees. Holding his head in his hands, Raph kept replaying that day over and over.

Mikey’s grimace as they fought off the Foot. His wide eyes full of fear when he had realized they were separated. His limp form collapsed on the roof. Raph felt his stomach twist as he relived each moment. How had it gone so wrong?

His breaths started coming in short ragged gasps. What little control he was clinging to was crumbling. He could feel his body shaking but couldn’t make it stop. _Mikey’s gone…_ His body shook even harder. _It’s my fault._ His lungs couldn’t get enough air. _I did this!_ He was choking!

“Raph!”

Strong arms wrapped themselves around the violently shaking turtle. Leo had just come from Don’s room only to see his normally strong and proud brother gasping for air. The image shook Leo to his core. Seeing such a vulnerable side of his brother was rare, and in this case dangerous.

“Calm down Raph. Come on. Breathe with me,” Leo begged, taking great gulps of air to encourage his younger brother. The rise and fall of Leo’s chest seemed to affect the red turtle as his breaths came in longer, slowing down until his lungs could finally fill themselves again. Still shaking, Raph clung to his blue-banded brother. Silent tears stained his mask as he sobbed into Leo’s plastron. Leo tucked the red ninja closer, softly stroking the worn and battered carapace of his brother.

“S’all my fault Leo,” Raph whimpered. “I did this…. _I_ did this.”

Slowly Leo drew back to look into the pain-filled eyes of his younger brother.

“Now you listen to me Raphael Hamato,” he said firmly. “This is _not_ your fault.”

Placing both hands on Raph’s shoulders, Leo continued.

“What happened has affected us all,” he said, “But taking the blame for events that were beyond our control will serve no purpose other than to break us.”

Raph turned his eyes away in shame.

“I could have controlled my anger.”

“And Michelangelo could have controlled his focus more in training,” Leo countered.

Raph’s eyes snapped back to the leader.

“There were so many things that led to this point that were beyond what one turtle could control,” Leo said, pulling Raph into another hug. “The thing that matters most now, is that we work together to fix this. Together we will find our brother.”

………………………………

It had been hours since Mikey slept. No…not hours. Days? Still locked in his pitch-black cell Mikey no longer knew. The collar had done its job well, digging into his neck whenever he tried to lay his head down to sleep. The spikes had on more than one occasion dug much deeper into his flesh, as the need for sleep slowly drove the young turtle mad.

What little he was fed could barely be swallowed as the motion once again drove the spikes deeper. How much blood had he lost? Why was he so cold? Was he blind?

Hun had shown himself several times. Mostly to beat the young ninja still chained to the icy cell wall. Always with the same questions.

Where are your brothers? Where is your home? What do your brothers know?

Mikey had resolutely clamped his mouth shut. That is until Hun’s blows wrenched pained screams from his raw throat. But even as the pain had him on the brink, Mikey refused to tell the giant man anything. Every time the great man left with a scowl on his face, Mikey couldn’t help the small smile on his face.

The collar shifted slightly and Mikey jerked awake once again. He had been so close to sleep that time. So close to sweet oblivion. Tears streaked down his bloodied face as despair washed over him.

Suddenly the cell door opened with a bang. Mikey curled in on himself waiting for the blow that did not come. Rather, Hun’s giant hands rose above the battered turtle, and after a great deal of clanking, Mikey could feel slack in the chains that still bound his wrists. Hun had taken them off the wall and was now using them to drag the turtle out of the cell. Mikey thrashed weakly, desperately trying to wrest his chains free, but Hun held them tight.

As he was dragged Mikey felt the collar dig into his neck. Gritting his teeth, Mikey tried his best to keep his neck straight. Finally emerging from the long hallway, Hun flung Mikey into the center of what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. Frantically Mikey looked for a way to escape. There were no guards to speak of. High up near the ceiling there were dusty windows. All these opportunities, and Mikey could do nothing with his battered and bloodied body.

Weakly Mikey looked back at Hun who stood off to the side grinning, his eyes fixed just beyond where Mikey lay. Mikey tried to follow his gaze, but the collar once again dug into his shredded neck, making his breath come in short gasps. Hun moved forward and roughly grabbed Mikey’s chains once again, dragging him forward. He grabbed Mikey by the back of his shell and threw the young turtle into what looked like a giant metal vice. Mikey felt the two cold metal plates put pressure on his carapace and plastron as Hun tightened the device.

“You ever hear of a nutcracker, turtle?” Hun asked, his eyes gleaming with twisted glee. Mikey remained silent, his feet hanging off the ground as the plates tightened. If he made a sound now, he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop screaming.

“You see, you put a nut between two sides of a nutcracker and squeeze until the shell breaks,” Hun continued. “Pretty neat right?”

Mikey’s eyes went wide. _Please God tell me he’s not thinking of…_

Hun tightened the vice and Mikey felt his shell creak and groan under the pressure.

“This here is my personal nutcracker,” Hun boomed. “Or I guess in this case, turtle cracker.”

Again the vice tightened. A strange popping sound was drowned out by Mikey’s scream, as his ribs snapped. Hun’s laugh echoed through the empty warehouse. Mikey’s face streamed with tears.

“Now turtle, you and I are going to have a little chat,” Hun said. “And every time you don’t answer me, this lever here gets a turn, and we get to hear all the lovely sounds your shell makes when it’s crushed.”

Mikey fought to regain control of his senses as wave after wave of pain radiated through his body. He felt himself slipping into the blackness of unconsciousness.

Dimly, Michelangelo could hear a cheesy ringtone cut through the darkness and had the oddest hope that his Shell Cell had somehow made it past Hun. He awoke to searing pain as cold water washed over him, leaving an intense burn in his wounds, his scream echoing off the dirty warehouse walls. Shuddering and shaking his eyes tried to focus on the looming figure in front of him. Hun had his phone in the crook of his neck, both hands holding an empty bucket.

“Do you like the salt water turtle?” he sneered. “Not to worry, these warehouses are right by the docks so we have plenty.”

Dropping the empty bucket, Hun turned, taking the phone away from his ear.

“Damn telemarketers,” he mumbled, hanging up.

Turning back, Hun reached for Mikey, causing the orange turtle to thrash in an attempt to escape. Roughly Hun grabbed Mikey’s head. What was he doing? Mikey was helpless as the meaty hands reached for his neck. There was a small clink of a key turning and Mikey felt the collar loosen. With a brutal yank, Hun dislodged the collar from Mikey’s swollen neck, letting the blood run freely from the shredded flesh.

“Just so you don’t get any ideas,” Hun growled. “Wouldn’t want you to kill yourself too soon.”

Mikey couldn’t answer, letting his neck finally go slack after so many days of constant rigidity. His wounds wept in protest but the young turtle didn’t have the energy to care. Another splash of sea water had the turtle screaming as the salt burned his tender injuries. 

                                                                                                                                                         

“Now,” Hun said menacingly. “Why don’t you tell me where your brothers are?”


	3. Tough

Donnie had been at it for over a week now. He had tried every algorithm, every backdoor, every line of code to find their missing brother. And yet there had been nothing. Not one thing that could lead him to his baby brother. Angry tears threatened to fall from behind his purple mask, but he roughly brushed them away. There was no time for tears. With renewed fervor he bent over his keyboard typing furiously.

Raph had taken to searching the city with Leo. Neither brother was of much use to Donnie is his lab, so rather than wait, they took to the streets, reporting in to Donnie with any leads they might find. But so far nothing had turned up, and the brothers were growing desperate.

This night was no different. As Donnie waited to hear in from his older brothers, the tension that had been mounting almost seemed to suffocate the lair. Just when Donnie thought he should join his brothers, his T-phone began to ring. Frantically he snatched it to his ear.

“Did you find him?” he asked a bit breathless.

“No Don,” Leo’s voice sounded defeated. “We just ran into some Purple Dragons causing trouble.”

Don let his breath out, crushed.

“But we did hear something odd,” Leo said. “Before we took them down they had been complaining about Hun. Saying how he never seemed to be around lately and was out of touch. Something about a project of his.”

Donnie frowned. A project? What kind of project could _Hun_ be doing?

“All right Leo,” Don said. “Why don’t you guys head home for tonight? It’s nearly dawn.”

“All right Donnie,” Leo’s said beaten. “We’ll see you soon.”

The line went dead as Leo and Raph made their way back to the lair. Donnie leaned back in his chair, letting his head loll back to look at the ceiling. He was missing something he knew it. Don ran a hand across his face, trying to wipe the exhaustion and tension away. He had to think clearly if he had any hope of tracking Mikey down.

… _Track?_                         

Don’s head snapped forward. Of course! Track! He began hitting the keys of his computer in a frenzied rush. He had tried to trace Mikey’s T-phone with no success, but it had never occurred to him to trace the phones of his enemies. With a new hope fueling him, Don began making a list of all potential enemy targets to trace and hack. And right at the top of his list was Hun.  
  
Raph and Leo ran through the sewers, neither saying a word. They didn’t have to. They could both feel the weight of their missing brother in the silence that passed between them. As they approached the lair they slowed to a crawl. The quiet that now reigned was just another painful reminder of the loss of their cheerful sibling.

Heads hung low, Raph and Leo moved towards the dojo to hang up their weapons. As they lay their hands upon the shoji door, they heard a cry from Donatello’s lab. Like lightning the two brothers sprinted to their purple brother.

“Donnie! What is it?” Leo asked anxiously. Raphael’s fists clenched as he waited for the genius turtle to explain his outcry.

“Guys, I think I may have a way to find Mikey!” Don said. His eyes shone with a new energy and hope that had been absent from his face for so long.

“Ya did?! How?!”

Don whirled back to his computer.

“I know we tried tracing Mikey’s T-phone and got nothing. I’ve been trying to access Shredder’s mainframe and every time I get close I get shut out. But accessing a cell network wouldn’t be nearly as difficult. I can use the mobile phones of our enemies to listen in and find Mikey!”

“That’s great Don,” Leo said. “But who would you hack? I’m pretty sure the Shredder doesn’t carry around a cell phone.”

Don turned to his blue brother.

“No, he doesn’t. But he isn’t who I want to track first.”

Raph looked at Don quizzically. Who else would be able to tell them where Mikey was?

“Well who didja have in mind?” Raph asked.

“When you told me about those Purple Dragons complaining about Hun, it got me to thinking,” Don said.

“Boy is _that_ a surprise…”Raph grunted.

“Shush!” Leo glared at the hothead. Don continued.

“Hun has never been one to distance himself from the operations going on in the streets, and it seems really odd that he wouldn’t be around. Then you said that they were saying he was working on a “project” that kept him busy. I don’t know about you guys, but that sounds pretty promising to me.”

Raph remained silent, gripping the sides of Don’s desk until his knuckles were white. Leo leaned forward looking at the information dancing across Don’s computer screen.

“Do it Don. Find our little brother.”

Don nodded his head and began.

Brow furrowed in concentration Donnie ran over the data on his screen. The information was all there. Now all he had to do was find the right…

“Got it!” he said triumphantly. “Let’s give Hun a call and see what he’s up to.”

Raph and Leo stood by silently as Don worked his way through the cell’s data, holding their breath as it began to ring.

There was a click as the phone was answered, but rather than being greeted with a “hello,” the brothers heard a bloodcurdling scream. All three felt their blood run cold. They knew whose voice that was.

“Do you like the salt water turtle?”   
  
Raph could taste the bile in his mouth as Hun taunted his little brother.   
  
“Not to worry, these warehouses are right by the docks, so we have plenty.”

Don could only sit in shock at the horrors he had just heard. This maniac had his little brother. He was hurting him! Leo’s gaze bored a hole into the computer as his worst fears were confirmed. Mikey was being tortured.  
  
The silence held for what seemed an eternity.

“Damn telemarketers,” Hun muttered before the line went dead.

Silence again filled Don’s lab.

“Where,” Raph whispered venomously.

Don blinked slowly, looking at the screens. Hun was near the docks at the western edge of the city.

“He’s at the docks by 41st and 12th,” Don said quietly. “I don’t know which-”

He never got a chance to finish before Raphael had bolted from the lair, his sais already in his hands.

_I’m comin’ Mikey. You hang in there. I’m comin’ little bro._

………………………………………

Mikey’s shell was a mess. After what had seemed like hours of questioning, Hun had tightened the vice gripping his shell, laughing as each miniscule crack started to grow across his plastron.

“Not bad turtle,” Hun grinned. “I didn’t think you would put up this much of a fight.”

Mikey could only hang his head, trying desperately to remain conscious. Every time he didn’t, Hun had splashed more salt water on him to wake him again.

“Go…to hell, Hun,” he whispered.

Hun’s grin vanished, and once again, the vice was tightened. Mikey could feel the myriad of cracks he had accumulated groan, and suddenly a great fissure streaked across the top of his plastron. Mikey didn’t remember screaming. The pain had all but blotted out his other senses. All he could do was focus on the agony of his chest.

“You might want to reconsider your position, _turtle!_ ” Hun spat. Mikey hung limply from the vice. Hun stepped away from the tightening handle and came in close to the wounded terrapin.

“You can make this end you know,” Hun said in a low voice. “You can make this all go away…if you tell me where your brothers are.”

 _The pain would stop? I can go?_   
  
Slowly the orange ninja raised his head, looking into the flat black eyes of the monstrous human.

_“Protect this family”_

“Wh-what?” Mikey whispered. Where had that voice come from?

“I said you can make this end turtle,” Hun said.

_“Protect.”_

“My family…” Mikey said quietly.

“That’s right turtle,” Hun continued. “Tell me where they are and this all goes away.”

_“Ya gotta be TOUGH!”_

Mikey’s lips stretched into a weak grin.  

“You got it Raph,” he chuckled weakly.  
  
Hun yanked back from the young turtle. His patience had never been one of his strong suits and as much as he enjoyed torturing the young turtle, he was not getting any results. Angrily he struck Mikey’s face, getting even angrier when the ninja remained silent. Not even a whimper passed his lips.

Hun looked down at the turtle’s shell. The top portion on the right side had a great crack running across it, the only thing holding it in place was the turtle’s skin. Hun’s already black eyes darkened even further. One way or another he was going to get results.

“You’ve pushed too far turtle,” he said quietly, walking up to Mikey once again. “You could have finished this, but you’ve forced my hand.”

He reached out grasping the top of Mikey’s plastron. The turtle jerked beneath his giant hand, but with the other, Hun grabbed the terrapin’s shoulder.

Feeling the dangerous hands on him made Mikey shiver with fear. He knew Hun was capable of terrible things, but this time was different. His eyes betrayed something darker and far more sinister.

“If you do not tell me where your brothers are hiding,” Hun threatened. “I will rip you right out of your shell.”

Mikey’s mouth went dry. He couldn’t mean that. He wouldn’t actually…

“Where?” Hun growled.

Mikey couldn’t think. He knew what Hun had threatened to do. The thought of being torn apart terrified him. And yet his family...

 _Tough._   

Mikey tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

With a snarl Hun used his monstrous strength to pull at Mikey’s plastron.

_PAIN!_

Mikey screamed, jerking violently as the sharp and piercing pain washed over him. It was so much worse than he had imagined. The skin attached to his plastron stretched as Hun’s hands pulled, sending shockwaves of misery through the young turtle. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

Suddenly there was an odd squelching noise, and the pain that had wracked Mikey’s frame became white-hot as the skin attached to the top of Mikey’s plastron started to rip free. Mikey’s scream tore through another octave before his eyes rolled back, desperately trying to escape into unconsciousness.

“YOU WILL ANSWER ME TURTLE!!” Hun’s voice boomed.

It almost carried over the crashing of glass as Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo burst through the windows of the abandoned warehouse.  
.........................................  
  
Leo quickly followed Raphael as he streaked through the sewers. He and Don had barely been able to keep up with the breakneck speed of the red ninja. Not that Leo could blame him. The joy of finding Mikey was marred by the horrific screams they had heard from their younger brother.

Leo could still hear Mikey’s cry of pain ringing in his ears. Narrowing his gaze, the blue ninja grit his teeth. Hun was going to pay dearly tonight. Hun and all the Foot clan. Leo lengthened his stride, pulling up alongside Raph.

Donnie held the tracker out keeping an eye on the tracer that was Hun’s phone. He had calibrated the tracker from only focusing on their T-phones to following the human’s phone as well. He hoped that the closer they got the more accurate the reading. Most of this was done in a rush after Raph had run from the lair. Donnie kept running over the small clues that Hun’s call had given them.

He knew they were in a warehouse, but knowing the docks, there were dozens that could potentially be used in secrecy. But Hun had also mentioned salt water being close-by. That meant they were right on the water. Mentally he shaved off another twenty warehouses, narrowing down the possibilities to less than ten. He hoped that even just this small amount of information would get Mikey out of there that much sooner.

Time seemed to crawl as they wound there way through the tunnels. By the time they had finally made it topside, Raph could barely keep his composure. Hearing Mikey scream like that tore at his heart. This was his worst nightmare. He was supposed to be the protector and all he could do was try and get to Mikey before anything worse was done to him.

 _It shoulda been ME screamin’!_ Raph raged at himself. _I’m supposed ta take the beatings. Why'd it have to be **him**?!_

Finally, the three brothers made it to the docks. Don glanced nervously at his tracker, scanning for a more accurate reading. Swiftly they ran down between the numerous warehouses, hardly making a sound. Most of the warehouses were chained shut with rusted locks. It was clear no one had been there in a very long time. Again Donnie swept his tracer around. The beacon from Hun’s cell phone was weak, but getting stronger.

“I think it’s one of those,” Don said pointing to three warehouses at the end of the dock. Two had lights on while the third remained dark.

The three turtles sped off towards the abandoned buildings. The pulse from Donnie’s tracker beat stronger and stronger. Finally they made it to the end of the dock. The brothers looked for a way in, but all doors were chained and boarded shut. Frustrated Leo looked around. His eyes flicked to the windows high above them, a small grin crossing his face.

“Nowhere to go but up,” he said to the other two. Sheathing his blades, Leo took a few steps back before launching himself at the warehouse wall, pushing off it to leap to another wall, like an intense game of hopscotch. Raph and Don followed suit, bouncing higher and higher, until they could grab the lip of the roof and swing themselves up.    
         

 _Which one is it?!_ Don thought, exasperated. The pulse was much stronger but couldn’t pinpoint exactly which of the three warehouses the signal was coming from. Raph paced beside Donnie, waves of pure fury rolling off his shoulders. Leo moved forward to Don, about to ask where to head next when they heard the scream.

Without a word, all three brothers leapt towards the windows of the unlit warehouse, weapons ready to tear into Mikey’s tormentor.

…………………………………………………….

Hun stood still grasping Mikey’s shell when the windows shattered. Mikey’s blood poured thickly over his hands. Finally registering what had caused the glass to break, Hun relinquished his grip on the small orange turtle, his lips curving into a cruel smile. His real prey was here.

Raph tucked into a roll as he hit the floor, deftly spinning to his feet, sai in hand, ready for a fight. What he wasn’t ready for was seeing Mikey. His little brother sagged in the giant metal arms of some machine, blood pooling beneath the small turtle. Raph couldn’t tear his eyes from the gruesome sight, frozen in place as if the slightest movement might cause his sanity to break.

“MIKEY!!”

Don’s anguished cry cut the cold air like a knife. Receiving no response from his little brother Don’s normally organized mind was thrown into chaos. When he was upset he would always turn to cold calculating logic to get through it, but this time was different. How could this be logical? How could something so horrible happening to someone as innocent as Mikey be logical?!

Donnie turned to look at Leo, almost begging for the blue leader to make sense of all this. Shock raked across Donnie’s face. The blue turtle stood as if he had turned to stone. No. Not stone. Steel. Cold steel. His muscles stood taut beneath his leaf green skin, and his eyes shone with a cold anger that Donnie had never seen before. Those eyes scared him.

“So the rest of the turtles have come out to play?” Hun chuckled derisively. “Good. I was getting tired of my last toy.”

Hun never saw the blade that sliced his neck. Indeed his face still held the mocking smile as his head rolled across the floor. As the great body collapsed, twitching on the floor, Leo sheathed his bloody katana. The monster was dead.

It took only a moment for the other two brothers to regain themselves and rush to Mikey. As Don quickly turned the lever to release the metal plates, Raph caught Mikey’s battered and bloody form in his arms. He held back the bile in his throat when he felt the warm sticky blood that now coated his arms.

Gently he lowered Mikey to the ground, never breaking contact. Whispering meaningless words and soft sounds of comfort, Raph brought Mikey to his lap.

Don stared at his red masked brother so tenderly holding Mikey, as if he was made of glass. Slowly he lowered himself beside the two, taking a closer look at Mikey’s horrific injuries, with Leo silently staring beside them. Gently, Don’s hand drifted over his brother’s plastron, taking in the hundreds of minute cracks and the one gaping fissure across the top. Looking to the young ninja’s neck, Donnie felt his skin crawl at the shredded flesh. His hand drifted over the bloody mess, trailing down. It was when his hand grazed the skin meant to connect to the plastron that Mikey’s eyes flew open and a strangled gasp escaped his lips.

“Mikey!” Raph cried. “It’s ok bro. It’s ok. We got you. You’re safe”

Drawing in a rattling breath, Mikey’s lidded eyes cracked open.

“Raph?” he whispered.

“I’m here Mikey. I’m here bro.” Raph gently clasped Mikey’s hand in his own.

“Raph…I d-didn’t tell them anything. I didn’t-“ Mikey coughed as the blood in his throat choked him, drawing in a rattling breath.

“I know ya didn’t.” Raph desperately tried to assure him. “I know it hurts Mikey, we’re gonna-“

“Idosn’ hurt,” the orange turtle said quietly.

Raph’s face went blank as his gut twisted.

“Ya don’t have ta pretend Mikey, it’s ok if it hurts.”

“Idosn’ hurt,” Mikey whispered. Raph’s arms began to shake. Mikey could feel the tremble in Raph’s hand that clasped his own.

“Raph?” he asked weakly, straining to look into his brother’s eyes. “Was I tough Raph?”

A sob rocked Raph’s body, as tears began to stream from behind his red mask.

                            

“Yeah Mikey,” he said, cradling the limp Mikey to his chest. “You were tough.”


End file.
